Ambrose Akinmusire

Since arriving as a bandleader on 2008's Prelude to Cora, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire has proved a forward-thinking musician. He surveys post-bop, ballads, free jazz, and funk with equanimous enthusiasm, mashing them up seamlessly; he presents himself in virtually every situation as a bold leader and a sympathetic sideman and collaborator. His egalitarian view of music, from classical to hip-hop and all stops in between, offers a portrait of a musician capable of redrawing his instrument's role in jazz. At 19, Akinmusire toured as a member of Steve Coleman and the Five Elemen...